Tea bag



April 1959 E. yv. MURPHY 2,881,910

TEA BAG Filed April '17, 1958 ATTORNEYS Edwz'nWmr vhy INVENTOR 1 BY I, I I) United States Patent TEA BAG Edwin W. Murphy, Laurel, Md., assignor of forty percent to Clarence W. Jones and ten percent to Thomas Murphy, both of Laurel, Md.

Application April 17, 1958, Serial No. 729,099

1 Claim. (Cl. 206--0.5)

By way of explanation, it might be stated that in the use of bags or envelopes in which tea is packaged for immersion in hot water for brewing purposes, the bags or envelopes are usually subjected to pressure to expel the liquid remaining in the tea bags, after an infusion beverage has been prepared.

It is therefore an important object of the invention to provide a tea bag wherein the usual strings attached to the bag for eifecting handling of the tea bag, are interlaced through the bag in such a way that when the strings of the bag are pulled, the pressure directed to the tea in the bag will be directed equally on both sides of the bag by merely pulling the strings attached to the bag, in opposite directions, the strings tightening around the bag, expelling the liquid from the bag without the necessity of contacting the bag with the fingers of the hand.

Another important object of the invention is to provide means for temporarily attaching the free ends of the strings together, so that they will not become tangled due to handling of the tea bags.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a tea bag constructed in accordance with the invention, and illustrating the free ends of the strings of the tea bag as separated preparatory to drawing the strings to create pressure on the bag and contents of the bag.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating the bag as collapsed under the pressure directed thereto by the pulling of the tea bag'strings in opposite directions.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the bag, which is indicated generally by the reference character 5, is constructed of filter cloth, paper or the like permeable material, the size and the shape of the bag being determined by requirements of use, the bag in the present showing being rectangular in formation.

The bag is provided with pairs of spaced openings 6 and 7 disposed in transverse spaced relation with respect to each other adjacent to one end of the bag with snflicient space between the openings and edge of the bag to reinforce the bag against tearing when the strings of the bag are pulled in directing pressure to the bag and squeezing the bag to expel the liquid remaining in the tea leaves after an infusion beverage has been prepared. The reference character 8 indicates a cord which is passed through one of the openings 6, as shown by Fig. 2 of the drawing, and looped around the bottom of the bag and then passed upwardly through the adjacent opening 6.

A cord 9 is also passed through one of the openings of the pair of openings 7 and looped around the bottom and then brought forwardly through the adjacent pair of openings 7 on the opposite side of the bag, the end of the cord 9 crossing the cord 8 at a point substantially intermediate the ends thereof.

As shown by Fig. 2 of the drawing, the free ends of the cords 8 and 9 are connected by the tabs 10, which tabs are provided with adhesive material adjacent to the inner edges thereof, the adhesive material and tabs being pressed together uniting the tabs to hold the cords 8 and 9 against tangling when the bag is being removed from its container for use.

It will of course be understood that when the bag is,

filled with tea leaves as shown by Fig. 1 of the drawing, the open edge of the bag is closed and sealed to confine the tea leaves to the bag structure for immersing in hot water to prepare an infusion beverage.

In the use of the tea bag, the bag is immersed in a body of hot water in the usual and well known manner and when an infusion beverage has been prepared, the tabs 10 are separated and pulled in opposite directions, whereupon the cords set up a binding action around the tea bag to expel the tea flavored liquid remaining in the tea bag after immersion.

Thus it will be seen that due to the construction shown and described, I have provided a tea bag wherein the cords which form a part thereof and Provide means for effecting handling of the tea bag, may be drawn tightly around the bag, compressing the bag into a small and compact article wherein the walls of the bag under such condition, create a pressure against the water soaked tea leaves remaining in the bag to expel the liquid remaining in the tea bag.

It will be noted that the pressure may be applied to the bag to squeeze the liquid from the tea leaves therein, without the necessity of touching the tea bag with the fingers or using other mechanical means for directing pressure to the bag.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed A tea bag comprising a body constructed of permeable material, said body having an inner pair of spaced openings and an outer pair of spaced openings, all of said openings being aligned in spaced relation on a line parallel to one edge of the bag, double cords extending through the inner pair of spaced openings, the free ends of said double cords extending a substantial distance beyond the edge of said bag, the intermediate portions of said double cords being looped around the opposite edge of the bag and extended through the outer pair of spaced openings with their ends also extending a substantial distance beyond the edge of the bag, and tabs connecting the adjacent ends of the double cords, said cords adapted to compress the bag into a small and compact article squeezing the liquid from the contents of the bag when said tabs are pulled in opposite directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,466,281 Shaw Apr. 5, 1949 

